Worldwide
An estimated 37 million people are blind.
One hundred twenty-four million people have low vision.
Two thirds of both blind and visually impaired are women.
Four-fifths, or 80%, of blind and visually impaired people live in developing countries.
Major risk factors for blinding or vision-impairing diseases globally are age, gender, and socioeconomic development.
In the U.S.
There are estimated to be over 1 million legally blind people, including over 700,000 women.
Over 3.4 million Americans suffering from visual impairment, about 2.3 million are women.
Women bear a larger burden than do men in the U.S. and other industrialized countries because, on average, they outlive men.
Adding to the inequity, however, is the possibility of biological (perhaps hormonal or immunological) predisposition to some eye diseases known to be more prevalent in women.
Major risk factors are:
- Age
- The same risk factors that cause premature death, i.e., smoking, poor nutrition, obesity.
References
Abou-Gareeb I, Lewallen S, Bassett K, Courtright P. Gender and blindness: a
meta-analysis of population-based prevalence surveys. Ophthal Epidemiol. 8:39-56,
2001
Lewallen, S, Courtright P. Gender and use of cataract surgical services in developing countries. Bulletin WHO, 2002 80:300-301
Courtright P. Gender and Blindness. World Health Organization, Dept. of Gender and Women’s Health, information sheet, January 2002.
Blindness: Vision 2020, The Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness
Eye Data: National Eye Institute of National lnstitutes of Health
American Autoimmune-related Diseases Assoc; Women and Autoimmunity
